The Witch of Oz
by Shadowfang14
Summary: A genderbent version of the classic story.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: _Here it is, guys. Those of you who read my genderbent Alice In Wonderland story 'Alex In Wonderland' may remember me mentioning working on a genderbent version of the Wizard of Oz. I hope you like it, and leave me plenty of reviews!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the original Wizard of Oz story. I do, however, own this gender-flipped version and my own imagination._

"Dorian! Dorian?" Ezra Gale looked up at the ceiling, an annoyed look on his face. "What is that boy doing?"

"Maybe he's not in there." His wife, Henrietta, said as she walked in from pulling up weeds in the front yard. "Maybe he's tending to the sheep, or feeding the horses." Ezra snorted.

"That's wishful thinking. Ever since the boy arrived, he's done nothing but shirk off his chores, cause trouble, and listen to that awful loud music!" Ezra sighed. "I don't understand it, Henrietta. When Dorian was a kid, he was the sweetest boy around. How did he get so...?" Henrietta put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's been rough on him these last couple of years, with his parents' divorce. That's why Franny sent him to us for the summer. A couple months away from everything will hopefully clear his head and help him get his act together." Henrietta removed her hand from her husband's shoulder and ran it through her graying brown hair.

"Poor boy. I can't imagine what it's been like for him. He may act out, but I'm sure that inside, he's just a sad, crying little boy."

* * *

About eight blocks away, Dorian was defying his aunt's beliefs as he sprayed graffiti onto the side of a house, a devilish grin on his face. Dorian Gale was a rebel and a punk, no question about it. Half of his head was shaved, and the other half had greasy brown hair sticking up everywhere, like it had never been washed. He had a gold ring in his right ear, and a tattoo of a lightning bolt adorned his left arm. Dorian wore a sleeveless blue muscle shirt, which didn't really show off anything, since he was really tall and thin, and, despite the hot Kansas sun, black skinny jeans. On his feet were a pair of black Converse sneakers that were left unlaced.

The 17-year-old's brown eyes shone with malicious glee as he finished his creation.

"Perfect." he said as he stepped back to get a better look. "Wouldn't you agree, Toto?" Next to him, his black terrier barked in response. Toto was probably the only living thing Dorian actually cared about. He had found him (_Yes, I am keeping Toto male in this, because I don't really think it makes a difference what gender he is; as well as for another reason that you'll find out later in the story_.) about two years ago, shortly after his parents' divorce. Dorian had been roaming the streets when he came across the dog. He tried to chase him off, told him to go away, but he didn't budge. Eventually, Toto ended up following Dorian home, and his mom decided to let him stay, probably hoping that a dog could help her son through the divorce. It didn't work-Dorian kept on getting into trouble and causing mayhem wherever he went. Toto _did_ grow on him, though, and he became Dorian's trusted pet/partner in crime.

"What's going on out there?!" Dorian swore as he realized his mistake. The door opened, and an older, frumpy-looking man stuck his head out. He glared down as he recognized Dorian.

"DORIAN GALE!"

"Dammit, I thought Old Man Gulch would be out right now." Dorian muttered to himself. He then turned to Toto. "Time to go." He and the dog both turned and started to flee the scene of the crime. As they ran, Mr. Gulch shouted after them

"You can run all you like, Gale! When I get my hands you, I'll tear you a new one, then sell that mutt of yours to a puppy mill!" Dorian froze in his tracks. _No one_ threatened his dog. He whipped back around.

"You touch my dog, and I'll kick your ass, old man!" Mr. Gulch went back inside, probably to get his shotgun. Dorian didn't stick around to find out.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, he made it back to his aunt and uncle's farmhouse. They were both glaring at him as he walked inside. This could mean one of many things, none of which were good. Dorian fumbled for words.

"Um..."

"Dorian," Aunt Henrietta started, "We just got a call from Mr. Gulch."

_Oh boy, here it comes..._

"He said that you spray-painted a vulgar image onto his house. _And _that you threatened him. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"First of all, he threatened Toto first." Dorian started. "And..."

"I don't want to hear it." Uncle Ezra said, standing up to glare down at his nephew. "I want you to go back over there with a bucket and sponge to clean up the mess you made."

"I would," Dorian started, "But I don't want to." He started to walk off, but his uncle's voice froze him in his tracks.

"Hold it right there, you ungrateful punk. Ever since you were a kid, we've done nothing but take care of you. And how do you repay us?! By openly defying us when we ask you to help out with the chores, disrespecting our neighbors, vandalizing their property...your aunt and I took you in out of the goodness of our hearts! You're not doing anything to help us, yourself, or your mother!"

"I NEVER ASKED TO COME HERE!" Dorian shouted. "Why would I _want_ to come out to a little hick town in the middle of nowhere?!" Without another word, he stormed upstairs to his room, leaving his aunt and uncle speechless. Toto, ever faithful, followed his master upstairs, and just barely managed to make it inside the room before Dorian slammed the door. Flopping down on his bed, the angry teenager grabbed his iPod from his nearby chest of drawers and, putting an ear-bud in each ear, played loud screamo music.

Unheard to him, an announcement came over the radio at that moment.

"Attention, residents. A tornado warning has been issued for the area. Repeat-a tornado is heading your way. If you have a cellar, you should gather your loved ones and take every precaution to avoid the deadly cyclone." Aunt Henrietta ran upstairs frantically and started pounding on Dorian's door.

"Dorian! Dorian, get out here **now**! There's a tornado coming!" Naturally, Dorian didn't hear her, due to the loud music pounding in his skull. Henrietta knocked, if possible, even harder.

"DORIAN! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!" Luckily for Dorian, Toto started to whimper and pull at his pant leg. Dorian raised an eyebrow and took one of his ear-buds out.

"What's wrong, boy?" he asked. His question was answered by his aunt's shouts.

"DORIAN! TORNADO!" Dorian bolted upright, turning off his iPod and tossing it aside. Picking up Toto in one hand, he walked to the door and unlocked it. Aunt Henrietta was having a fit.

"COME ON, COME ON!" Aunt Henrietta grabbed Dorian's free hand and dragged him down the stairs. Despite the fact that she was at least 3 times his age, she was strong. As they reached the bottom floor, Dorian was able to get a glimpse of the approaching tornado, and his heart almost stopped. It was a violent-looking storm, that was for sure.

Aunt Henrietta and Dorian ran for the kitchen, where Aunt Henrietta threw a rug off the floor, revealing a small door. She flung the door open and climbed inside. Dorian was just about to follow her, when he noticed something.

"Wait a second, where's Toto?" A barking from upstairs answered his question. Somehow, Toto had fallen from his arms while Aunt Henrietta was dragging him downstairs, and had been trapped in his room when the door slammed shut. Automatically, Dorian turned and started to run up the stairs.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Uncle Ezra asked.

"Where do you think?!" Dorian demanded. "I'm going to get my dog!"

"There's no time!" Uncle Ezra shouted as he made his way to the cellar. Dorian ignored him. He was NOT about to lose his dog in this freak storm. He bolted up the stairs like a madman and threw open his door. There was Toto, wagging his tail excitedly as he saw his master.

"Toto!" Dorian picked him up and hugged his dog in a display of affection he would _never_ show anyone.

"I'm so sorry, boy. Come on, let's..." Dorian was cut off as the house starting shaking under his feet. The boy realized, to his horror, that the house had been hit by the tornado, and was now being sucked up. Dorian bit his lip and his heart started pounding.

_No. I don't want to die! I haven't even finished high school yet! _Dorian sunk to the floor in despair, knowing right away that he wasn't going to get out of this.

Toto whimpered and licked the boy's face.

"Maybe this is divine punishment for everything I've done." He looked at Toto and, despite himself, a small smile crossed his face. "Well, at least we can enjoy the afterlife together, huh buddy?" Toto whimpered again, and Dorian hugged him even tighter, closing his eyes and lowering his head as he waited for his untimely demise.

_Mom, Uncle Ezra, Aunt Henrietta...I'm sorry._

**A/N**: _Yeah, that was a pretty dark way to end the first chapter. But we all know how the Wizard of Oz goes, so don't feel too bad. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: _I own the genderbent versions of the Oz characters, but not the original story or characters._

**Chapter Two**

Dorian wasn't sure what he expected death to be like. A _thud_ shook the entire house as it finally touched down on solid ground. Dorian let out an involuntary gasp. Books, CDs, and a miniature figurine of a wizard fell off his desk. The teenager fell to the ground, expecting to see either the grim reaper or that bright light you were allegedly supposed to see as you died. A light _did_ shine in his eyes, but it was just the sun shining through his window. Dorian blinked a couple times to clear his vision.

"We-We're not dead?" Toto stuck his face right in the boy's, his black eyes bright. Dorian slowly pulled himself up.

"How long were we in the air?" He asked. Then another question struck him "Where are we?" Standing up, he walked over and opened the door. Toto followed him as he walked downstairs and headed outside. Dorian gaped at what he saw.

"What the hell?" He had landed in a candy land. That was the best way he could describe it. The land was bright and colorful, much different than his aunt and uncle's flat, boring farmland.

Something started to come towards the house. Make that some_one_. Lots of someones. Tiny little people started to come out of their tiny little houses, looking at Dorian with curiosity and wonder. Before Dorian could wonder if he was dreaming, a little woman shouted

"He killed Nestor*!"

"Nestor?" Dorian questioned. He followed the woman's finger to the side of the house-and started. There, right under the house, was a pair of black-booted feet.

"Someone was crushed? My house killed someone?" Dorian asked before he could stop himself.

"Yes indeed." Dorian whipped around at the sound of the voice. A red, fiery aura appeared in front of him before clearing to reveal a man.

The man appeared to be in about his mid-twenties, and was tall and somewhat muscular. He had short, neat blonde hair and a neatly-trimmed beard. He was also wearing a dark orange garment of some sort, and holding a staff.

"Welcome to Oz, young man." the man said, smiling. "And thank you for ridding us of Nestor, the Wicked Wizard of the East."

"Oz? Wizard?" Then something clicked in Dorian's head. "Wait-are you a wizard too?"

"Yes indeed. I am Glindar, the Good Wizard."

"That would explain the pyrotechnics earlier. Not to mention the dress." Glindar almost fell over backwards, anime-style.

"It's a wizard's robe." He said quietly, mostly to himself.

"So-this Nestor guy, I take it he was a bad dude?"

"Very!" A midget piped up. "He came by one day and took over Munchkinland! We munchkins were powerless to stop him! That is, until you came and freed us!" Toto looked at Nestor's feet and whimpered. Dorian looked around for a couple seconds.

"Alright, I give up. Where's the camera?" Glindar blinked.

"Camera?"

"Come on, I'm not stupid." Dorian said, crossing his arms. "This is a joke, right? I'm on a TV set being suckered into some fairy tale scenario, and sooner or later, someone is going to pop out and yell 'Surprise! You're on Dumbass TV'!" Glindar and the munchkins all stared at him. You could hear a pin drop in the ensuing silence.

"What a strange boy." one of the munchkins whispered. Finally, Glindar came back to his senses.

"I assure you, this is no joke."

"So wait-I really _am_ dead then, and this is like, the other side or something? Come to think of it, I suppose this _is _kind of what heaven is supposed to look like..."

"Young man-"

"Dorian. It's Dorian."

"_Dorian_;" Glindar started, "This is real, and you are still alive." His face then turned dark. "But you might not be for much longer."

"Huh?"

"Nestor wasn't the only evil wizard here in Oz." Glindar said. "He had a brother." Dorian raised his eyebrows.

"Elphias*, the Wicked Wizard of the West. He's even more powerful than his brother, and, if anything, even more cruel. He's going to be in a foul mood when he learns that you killed his younger brother."

"I didn't kill _anyone_!" Dorian protested. "My house fell on him! It was a freak accident!"

"Still though, I'd avoid him if you're going to be in Oz." Glindar said. Dorian sighed.

"I don't want to be here." he said, exasperated. "I want to go back to Kansas."

_Now, there are seven words I never thought I'd use together in a sentence._ Suddenly, something occurred to him.

"Wait a second. Glinda, was it?"

"Glin_dar_." Glindar corrected, beginning to tire of the boy.

"Yeah, whatever. You said you're a wizard, right? So just use your magic to send me back home."

"I'm afraid it's not that easy." Glindar said. "My magic is strong, but not that strong."

"So I'm stuck here, then?" Dorian asked, ready to sink to the ground in defeat.

"Probably not." Glindar answered. "There's probably a chance. You could always see Ozia, the Wonderful Witch of Oz. She is the most powerful person in all of Oz."

"Awesome, so where is she?" Dorian asked, still half-expecting a film crew to pop out at any second.

"Ozia lives in the Emerald City." Glindar answered. "You can find her by following the Yellow Brick Road. However, before you leave, I have something for you." Raising his staff, he knocked the hilt against the ground, and a ripple of magic spread throughout the ground. As Dorian watched, Nestor's boots disappeared off of his feet and re-appeared on Dorian's own. Dorian raised an eyebrow.

"I like leather boots as much as the next guy, but what's with the new kicks?"

"Nestor's boots have great power." Glindar answered. "They will protect you on your journey. This is the least I can do for you."

"So you can't poof me home or to the person who can?" Dorian asked skeptically. "Not much of a wizard, are you?"

"Look, do you want to get home or what?" Glindar sighed.

"Of course I do!" Dorian answered. "There's no way I'll be able to fit inside one of those midget houses!"

"Then off you go." Glindar said, indicating towards the Yellow Brick Road.

"Right. Well, see you freaks later." Dorian walked down the Road, Toto following after him.

"I don't think I like him very much." A munchkin said after he had left.

"Well, here we go, Toto." Dorian said. "Off to find this witch lady to send us home, while trying to avoid an evil wizard with no protection but his dead brother's shoes. No pressure."

**A/N**: _I loved writing the reactions between Dorian and Glindar! Dorian, you smartass XD_

_Elphias and Nestor are meant to be the male versions of Elphaba and Nessarose, the real names of the Wicked Witches of the East and West, respectively, in the stage play 'Wicked'. I'm just going to have everyone call Elphias and Ozia by name throughout the story, because it'll get confusing to have to keep writing that Dorian and the others have to kill the wizard so that they can see the witch. And for those of you who are wondering, there's a reason Elphias didn't show up in this chapter. He **will** show up in the story, though. I love being a writer. Gives me a chance to torture my readers with information only I know :D Well, leave some reviews!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: _See the first two chapters_

**Chapter Three**

Dorian Gale was _not_ a dreamer. All his life, he had been a realist; even when he was a little kid he had never believed in anything like Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny (though this was, in part, due to the drunken ramblings of his father). His policy was that if he could see something in front of him and touch it, it was real.

Despite this, he _still _had a hard time believing what was going on.

"Am I _seriously_ doing this?" he asked no one in particular. He tried to imagine himself going up against a powerful, Saruman-esque wizard with a staff. The guy would probably fry him before he even got the chance to explain the incident with his brother.

_I'm screwed._

"Hey Toto? Would you please bite me so that I can wake up from this crazy dream?" Toto, who had been walking next to him, tilted his head to one side.

"Hi! Hello there!"

Dorian spun around and found himself face-to-face with a girl scarecrow. She wore a brown hat and jumper, and had a green denim button-up shirt. Some straw had been placed and tied on her head, making it look like she had blonde pigtails. Blue eyes had been drawn on her face, along with a smile that was probably supposed to be happy, but instead struck Dorian as creepy. White gloves adorned her hands, and on her feet were a pair of boots like the kind Aunt Henrietta wore around the farm.

Dorian squinted at the scarecrow for a few seconds, then shook his head.

"Nah. Must've been hearing things."

"I hear things too!" Dorian let out a surprised cry before staggering backwards. The scarecrow talked! It freaking talked! She didn't seem to notice Dorian's reaction, however, as she continued

"Mostly it's the crows laughing at me, telling me how incompetent I am as a scarecrow." Her happy smile curved down into a frown, and Dorian felt an involuntary shiver run down his spine. Finally, the scarecrow noticed him.

"Hey, are you okay there?"

"NO, I'M NOT OKAY!" Dorian shouted, perhaps a little louder than necessary. "I'VE LOST IT! MUNCHKINS, WIZARDS, AND NOW I'M SEEING TALKING SCARECROWS?!" The Scarecrow just giggled.

"You're funny!" Just then, she noticed Toto. "Aww! What an enchanting little creature!"

"No!" Dorian said, finally quieting down. "No, I am _not_ doing this! I am _not_ having a conversation with a demon scarecrow!"

"'Demon'?" The Scarecrow asked.

"I'm outta here!" Dorian said, starting to walk away. "I'm just gonna find 'Ozia' and get back to Kansas!"

"Wait!" The Scarecrow said. "Can I come with you?" This actually stopped Dorian in his tracks.

"You want to come with me?" he asked.

"Well, yeah!" The Scarecrow said. "I mean, I've been stuck on that pole so long, and it's just so boring, and my legs get so stiff! Well, okay, so I technically can't feel, but..."

"Allow me to rephrase that." Dorian said, getting annoyed. "You want to see Ozia?"

"Yeah!" The Scarecrow said. "I have a wish I want her to grant for me!" She just smiled at Dorian with a vague look on her face, as if expecting him to ask what it was. Finally, he caved.

"So...what is it?" He asked.

"What's what?" The Scarecrow asked.

"Your wish?!" Dorian said, beginning to lose his temper again.

"Wish...oh, right!" Dorian's eyebrow twitched. He was strongly tempted to hit her, but he doubted it would do anything.

"Well, I know this is kind of hard to believe, but I don't exactly have a brain, you see."

"I _never_ would've guessed." Dorian said, rolling his eyes.

"Anyway, I want to see if Ozia can give me one." The Scarecrow finished. She looked directly at Dorian. "So, can I come with you? Please?" Dorian looked at the scarecrow girl. Her feet didn't even touch the ground. He could only imagine how mundane it must have been to be stuck in a field everyday, not even able to walk away after a day of hard work, like him and his aunt and uncle.

"Am I _really _sympathizing with a _**scarecrow**_?!" He asked himself. "Man, I _am_ losing it." To the Scarecrow, he said "Alright, fine. You can come." The Scarecrow's creepy smile got, if possible, even wider.

"REALLY?!" she asked.

"Sure." Dorian said, shrugging. A small smile spread across his face. "I could use somebody besides Toto to talk to anyway." He walked up to the Scarecrow and placed his hands on either of her shoulders. He then lifted her up off her pole, slowly and carefully, and set her on the ground.

"There." he said. "Can you walk?"

"Good question." The Scarecrow took a couple steps, then came back.

"I can! YAY!" Dorian used his pinky to clean out his ear, making sure he hadn't gone deaf. For a stuffed bag of straw, she sure had a high, squeaky voice.

"You know, if this doesn't work out, you can always become a cheerleader."

"A what?"

"Never mind." Dorian sighed. The three set off down the road, and Dorian made a mental note to check the Scarecrow's straw for mice later.

**A/N**: _Yay! The Scarecrow joined Dorian! The group is getting together! :D Review, please?_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: _If I owned the Wizard of Oz, well, there'd be no reason for me to write a fanfic now, would there?_

**Chapter Four**

"I'll be there, some day, I can go the distance! I will find my way if I can be strong! " Dorian's eye twitched as he listened to the Scarecrow singing. It was the next day. After the straw girl had joined him and Toto, they walked for another couple of hours until Dorian had gotten tired and decided to stop and rest at an old abandoned farmhouse. And now, they were off again, and Dorian had the misfortune of listening to her off-key singing.

"Could you please _not_ sing?!" He hissed through his teeth.

"Okay!" The Scarecrow said with a smile. And she started humming. Dorian groaned and picked up speed. The sooner he got to see Ozia, the sooner he could get rid of the annoying Scarecrow.

Unseen to Dorian, someone, or some_thing_ was watching him in the forest.

"Wait, where are we going again?" the Scarecrow asked, stopping in her tracks.

"We're going to go see Ozia." Dorian said with remarkable patience.

"Why?" the Scarecrow asked. A temple started to pound in Dorian's head.

"I need to get back home, and **you** need a brain. _Desperately_."

"Hey, that's not very nice!" The Scarecrow moaned. Dorian was just about to shout when he noticed Toto's intense stare.

"What's up, boy?" he asked. He and the Scarecrow followed the dog's gaze through the trees and saw...nothing.

"What are we looking at?" the Scarecrow asked.

"Probably a squirrel or something." Dorian shrugged. "Let's get going." The gang started to walk off again, when suddenly something leaped out from the trees and landed in front of them.

That something was a girl. Or, at least it was _shaped_ like a girl. The thing seemed to be made of some sort of metal, and had a tall, lithe build. On her head was more metal shaped like short, spiky hair. The only part of her that didn't look metallic was her eyes, which were purple and burning with anger. In her hands she held a halberd with a long pole.

"Wha?!" Dorian asked. "A robot girl?!" This had been the wrong thing to say.

The girl's eyes burned even brighter.

"I am no automaton!" she shouted. "Now tell me, where is Elphias?!"

"The wizard?" Dorian asked, blinking stupidly for a few seconds. Then he snapped to his senses. "I don't know!"

"LIAR!" The girl raised her halberd. Fortunately, Dorian was able to dodge before she could slice through him.

"You're crazy!" Dorian shouted. "What makes you think I know where Elphias is?!" Instead of answering, the girl moved to attack him again. Dorian dodged, except this time, he wasn't so fast. In the last few seconds, he got a cut in his arm. The boy screamed in pain and grabbed his injured limb. Suddenly, something strange happened. The boots on his feet were suddenly surrounded with a white glow. His new scar started to glow too, and as he, and the girls, watched, it closed up.

"Dorian?" the Scarecrow asked.

"Oh, right." Dorian said. "Glandar or whatever said that these boots have powers."

"Well, that's troublesome." The 'robot' girl said, lowering her halberd. Dorian glared at her.

"What's your deal, anyway?! Why'd you try to slice me up, you psycho robot?!" The girl's head shot up.

"I told you, I'm _not_ a machine!" she protested angrily. "Though I suppose I might as well be now." She looked down at the ground, and the Scarecrow tilted her head, a concerned look on her face.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"That's none of your concern." The metal girl snapped, glaring at her. She turned and started to walk off, but Dorian marched forward and grabbed her shoulder.

"Oh no." he said. "You're _not_ getting off that easily." The girl glared at him and brushed his hand off.

"You forget, I have magic boots." Dorian informed her. "If you're not careful, I can turn you into scrap metal." He was obviously bluffing. The boy didn't even know how to use the boots, that was evident. However, for whatever reason, the girl submitted.

"Well, if you _must _know." She took a brief pause, then continued. "Until a couple months ago, I was flesh, like you." She informed Dorian. "I was just a simple girl, working as a woodcutter to support my mother and ailing father. However, one day, I got a present from Elphias."

_A young girl of about 17 opens her house door to go out, and sees a mysterious halberd lying at her doorstep. Curious and intrigued, she reaches out to touch it, when suddenly the large ax raises up by itself. The girl gasps as the halberd turns around so that the blade is facing her. It starts to fly towards her._

"Fortunately for me, Glindar was in town." The girl said back in the present. "Unfortunately, he didn't know any healing magic, so he did the next best thing. He gathered all the tin items around my house and used them to make a new body for me, which he then transferred my spirit into. Needless to say, I was a bit...upset when I saw myself afterwards."

_The girl, now in a body of tin, raises herself up from the floor. Her mother gasps in horror, and the girl, worried, runs over to a mirror. Her eyes widen in horror when she sees what she has become. Letting out a shout, she grabs the mirror with both hands, throwing it to the floor. _

"It wasn't until later that I learned that Elphias was responsible." The Tin Girl finished. "Since then, I've sworn to make him pay, using the very same enchanted ax he left me to cleave his head from his shoulders."

"That's horrible!" The Scarecrow said sadly. Dorian stared at her, unsure of what to do. She had just tried to kill him, and now she was telling a sob story?

"Why don't you come with us?" Dorian and the Tin Girl both stared at the Scarecrow.

"What?" They both asked simultaneously.

"Dorian and I are going to see Ozia!" the Scarecrow announced. "Maybe you could come with us, and ask her to heal your body or something!"

"Are you nuts?!" Dorian asked. The Tin Girl, on the other hand, seemed to be considering her offer.

"I suppose it makes more sense than just wandering aimlessly around looking for Elphias. Who knows, I might even run into him." The Tin Girl said. She nodded. "Very well."

"Yay, new traveling companion!" the Scarecrow said.

"No, _**not **_yay!" Dorian said. "She just tried to kill me!"

"But we can't just leave her like this!" the Scarecrow said. "Now come on! We're not getting any younger here!" She grabbed either of her companions' hands and dragged them off along the Yellow Brick Road. Dorian looked over at the Tin Girl, and let out a shudder. It was bad enough traveling with an annoying chatty Scarecrow, now he also had to go to Ozia with a violent Tin Woodsgirl who looked like she'd kill him the second he turned his back.

_I'm going to die!_ _I'm seriously going to freaking die here!_

**A/N**: _For those of you who don't know, a halberd is a type of battle ax with a long handle. I thought it would be an awesome weapon for my badass, female version of the Tin Man. I seriously love this character :D And for those of you who are wondering 'But what about that whole 'heartless' thing?', don't worry, that'll come into play later. BTW, cyber cookie to anyone who can recognize the song Scarecrow is singing in the beginning. Review please!_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: _Repeat after me-the original Wizard of Oz belongs to Frank Baum._

**Chapter Five**

Dorian yawned loudly as he trudged after the girls.

"Could you hurry it up?!" the Tin Girl asked, annoyed. "You're slowing us down!" Dorian just glared at her and didn't say anything. The Scarecrow looked at him in concern.

"What's wrong, Dorian? Didn't sleep too well?"

"Nope." Dorian yawned again. "It was kind of hard to sleep knowing that a violent, ax-wielding metal Amazon was nearby." The Tin Girl turned and glared at him.

"You should be thanking me for standing guard, you ungrateful...!"

"Easy, easy guys!" the Scarecrow said, walking in between them. "We're on the same side here, aren't we? No really, are we?" She directed this question at Dorian. "Who is she, again?" The Tin Girl gripped the handle of her halberd and gritted her teeth in anger.

"Why did I agree to this again?!" She asked herself. She then stopped as she saw the dark forest they were about to walk into.

"What's up?" Dorian asked.

"These woods are dangerous." Tin Girl answered. "You two should probably stay here." Dorian raised an eyebrow.

"What's so bad about them?" he asked.

"They're full of wild animals." Tin Girl answered. "Lions, tigers, and Ozia knows what else. They won't hesitate to tear you apart if you get in their sights." Dorian froze.

"Yeah-so you go ahead and have fun slaughtering them, then."

"But wait, I'm confused." the Scarecrow said. "Don't you have those magic boots?"

"Huh? Oh yeah." Dorian said, looking down at the boots. He and the Scarecrow automatically followed the Tin Girl as she walked into the forest. Dorian hoped he looked braver than he felt. He clenched his fists, looking through the trees.

_What are you so worried for?! _He asked himself. _Boots, remember?! _He mentally sighed. _Now if only I had any idea how to use them..._

The Scarecrow let out a scream, and Dorian and Tin Girl tensed.

"What is it?" Dorian asked.

"Something just brushed past my leg!" Scarecrow said. Dorian looked down to see...a rabbit running in front of them. He and Tin Girl shared identical glares.

"Sorry." Scarecrow said sheepishly.

Suddenly, the bushes started rustling.

"Ooh, wonder what that could be." Dorian said sarcastically. "Probably a scary squirrel."

A lioness prowled out of the bushes, eying the group with hungry eyes. Another lioness came out from the trees behind the Scarecrow, then a third, then a fourth. The Tin Girl gripped the handle of her halberd, preparing for the upcoming fight, while the Scarecrow gushed.

"KITTIES!" she squealed. "They're so cute!" If the situation hadn't been so dire, Dorian would've facepalmed.

"Hey, we can't eat these guys!" One of the lionesses roared. "One of them is made of straw, and the other of tin!"

"The boy is flesh, though." Another lioness pointed out. "And so is his dog. They should suffice." It was then that Dorian remembered Toto, and his protective instinct kicked in. He stepped in front of Toto, and said

"You want the dog, you have to get through me." The lioness grinned.

"Sounds good to me." She jumped at Dorian, and, before he could stop himself, his leg shot out and kicked her in the face. The other lionesses followed their leaders examples and started to attack the others. Two positioned themselves on either side of the Scarecrow and pounced. Even though she couldn't technically get hurt, she still shrieked and ducked, causing the lionesses to hit their heads together. One of the lionesses, who was smaller and lighter-colored than the others, started to run towards the Tin Girl, but quickly stopped when she got a good look at the girl, with her angry look and dangerous weapon. The lioness let out a scream like a little girl before turning and running back.

"Damn!" the first lioness said. "The boy has the magic boots!"

"We don't stand a chance!" Another lioness said.

"Retreat!" The first lioness shouted. The lionesses started to run off, but the leader turned to the smallest one, who had gone up against Tin Girl, and said

"Not _you_."

"But...!"

"Your cowardice has sullied our pride long enough." the alpha lioness said coldly. "I'll leave you to these strangers." Dorian was surprised to see a look of shock and horror cross the young lioness' face. After a few moments, the rest of the pack was gone. The lioness turned to the gang, a look of terror on her furry face. She let out an 'eep' and dropped to the ground, putting her paws over her head.

"Please don't kill me!" she begged.

"We're not gonna kill you." Dorian said sincerely. "It was pretty cold of your pack to just ditch you like that."

"They had every right to." The Lioness sighed, removing her paws from her head. "I've been a coward for as long as I can remember. I don't know what's wrong with me. I wish I could be brave like the others, but I just can't handle conflict." She sniffled. "I'm a failure as a lioness."

"We're gonna have to take her to see Ozia too, aren't we?" Dorian sighed. He looked at the Lioness.

"We're all going to see Ozia to see if she can grant our wishes, do you want to come along to see if she can give you courage?"

"Can-can she do that?" the Lioness asked hopefully.

"Well, she is a witch." the Scarecrow pointed out.

"If I become brave, then maybe I'll finally be accepted into my pack." the Lioness said, a small smile crossing her face.

"Alright, but this is the last one, okay?!" Dorian said. "We're not picking up any more stragglers after this, alright?" The Lioness flinched a little. As she picked herself up and followed the gang as they started walking out of the forest, she whispered to the Scarecrow

"Kind of cranky, isn't he?"

"Him and the Tin Girl." the Scarecrow whispered back. She then smiled. "I think they'd make a cute couple, don't you?"

"What was that?" the Tin Girl asked, twisting her head around to glare at them.

"Nothing!"

**A/N**: _The group is finally all together now! Now guys, a serious question-what do you think of Dorian, personality-wise? I don't think I did a good job keeping his character consistent in this chapter, and that's just bothering me. One more thing for later in the story-in the original story, was the part with the poppies before or **after** the Wizard sends the group to kill the witch? Yeah, I'll admit it, I haven't seen the movie in YEARS. _


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: _Why do I even have to do these?! It's a genderbent version of a famous story, people._

**Chapter Six**

Dorian woke up with a start as something was dropped in front of him. Upon opening his eyes, he was immediately greeted with the sight of a very big, very dead deer.

"What's this?" he asked groggily.

"Breakfast." the Lioness announced. "I went out hunting early this morning. Of course, I'm used to hunting in a pack...but I figured I'd share my kill with you."

"Th-thanks." Dorian said, truly grateful. He looked at the deer, then turned to the other two girls.

"Do either of you know how to start a fire?"

"Fire? Where?!" The Scarecrow asked in a panic. She then let out an 'eep' of fear and jumped into a tree. As the others stared at her, she realized that everything was alright, then jumped back down, a blush somehow crossing her face.

"Sorry." she apologized. "I'm kinda scared of fire. You know, because I'm full of straw and everything."

"Well then, you might want to stand back." Tin Girl said, pushing her back and leaning her halberd against a tree. As the others watched, she grabbed two sticks and rubbed them together against the ground. A spark shot from the wood before a fire started. The Lioness jumped back a little in surprise.

"Whoa. How did you do that?"

"I used to be a woodcutter." Tin Girl said nonchalantly. "You pick up some things from working outdoors."

"That's helpful." Dorian said. He grinned at Tin Girl. "You know, maybe I was wrong about you. You're pretty cool." Tin Girl didn't say anything. Instead, she and Scarecrow just watched as Dorian, Lioness, and Toto ate.

Later, the group was walking through the woods. Lioness was entertaining the others with stories.

"So, for a time when I was a cub, I decided that I wanted to get plants instead of meat. One time, I tried stealing bananas from a monkey-and learned that they throw their dung when they get mad." Scarecrow burst out laughing, and Dorian let out a chuckle, despite himself.

"So how about you, Tin? You got any funny stories?" Scarecrow asked. The Tin Girl's eye twitched.

"Did you ever hear the one about the girl traveling through the woods with a pretty boy, an idiot, and a coward?"

"No, can't say I have." the Scarecrow said, missing the point. Dorian glared at the Tin Girl.

_Pretty boy?_

As he walked, Dorian saw an apple tree. He started to pull one of the apples off-when suddenly one of the tree's branches reached out and roughly slapped his hand away.

"Ah! Dammit!" Dorian swore.

"Dorian, what's wrong?" the Lioness asked.

"The stupid tree slapped me!" Dorian said.

"Stupid?!" Dorian looked at the tree, and let out a cry of surprise. There was a face on the tree! A very angry-looking face, from the look of it.

"So-think it's funny to pick off my apples, huh?!"

"Well hey, I didn't think you were _alive_!" Dorian said.

"You're going down, punk!" Another tree said.

"Get em!" Dorian and the Lioness ducked as apples started flying through the air. The Scarecrow's head was knocked clean off, and she started shouting directions to her body.

"Over here! No, turn around!" The Tin Girl used her large ax to block and slice any apples that flew in her direction.

"Let's get out of here!" Dorian shouted. The gang ran forward (the Lioness grabbing the Scarecrow's head in her jaws) and ran out of the forest, none the worse for wear.

"Okay, is everyone here?" Dorian asked as soon as they had made it to safety.  
"Ow, it smarts!" The Lioness said, one of her eyes bruised from being hit with an apple. The Scarecrow took her head back from her and fixed it on her body, backwards.

"Oh hey wait, this isn't right..." Toto let out a bark, confirming that he was there.

"New rule-nobody picks any fruit!" Dorian said.

"Well yeah, we all knew that from before." the Tin Girl said.

"It's true, even _I _knew that the trees are alive!" Scarecrow said.

"How could you not see their faces?" the Lioness asked. Dorian promptly fell over.

"Well hey, I've only been here for a couple of days!" he protested. "How do you expect me to know everything that goes on in this crazy, screwed-up place?!" The Tin Girl lead them forward, with Dorian taking up the rear.

_Ever since I hit puberty, I've dreamed of being surrounded by girls, and now that I am, I can't even enjoy it!_

**A/N: _Yeah, not a lot going on in this chapter. But they'll get to the Emerald City soon, don't worry about it!_**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**: _I don't own the Wizard of Oz story. Repeat 100 times or however long it takes for it to stick._

**Chapter Seven**

Scarecrow stared at the red dawn sky, her mind a million miles away, a sad look on her face. Despite how she acted in front of Dorian and the others, she actually wasn't as stupid as she looked. However, it was much easier to act like a fool than to let herself go through every second with her heart full of worry and sadness. Even though Scarecrow didn't technically have lungs, she let out a sigh.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd almost say that you looked thoughtful." Tin Girl walked up behind the other girl, holding onto her trademark halberd. Scarecrow spun around, quickly changing her face to her usual vague, happy expression.

"Oh, hi there, Tinny! Didn't hear you coming!" Tin Girl just glowered at her.

"Cut the crap, Fiyera. I _know_ you, remember?" Scarecrow's smile slowly faded.

"You were thinking about _him_, weren't you?!" Tin Girl gripped the handle of her ax even more tightly. "You're still in love with him!" Scarecrow looked up at Tin Girl.

"Beka-" Tin Girl scoffed.

"You really _are_ brainless." Scarecrow got angry.

"Better brainless than heartless! I _knew_ him before all of this happened! He was nice, and kind, I can't believe he would..."

"_He's evil!_" Tin Girl shouted, losing her temper. "He's the one turned me into _this_! He's the one responsible for everything that's gone wrong in Oz!"

"You don't...!" Scarecrow started, only for Tin Girl to cut her off again.

"Why can't you just get it through your head that he's a monster?!" A crestfallen look spread across Scarecrow's face. If she were human, she would've cried.

"What the hell is with all the noise over here?!" Dorian walked over to the girls, glaring at them out of half-closed eyes. His hair was messy, and his clothes rumpled.

"Oh, hey, Dorian!" Scarecrow said, switching back to her normal happy facade. "Did we wake you up?" She pouted sadly. "I'm sorry!" Dorian just stared at her

"Whatever."

* * *

Later, the gang was continuing on their way, Dorian complaining the whole time.

"I'm tired, my feet hurt, I've been stuck in this stupid place for I don't even know how long-" Lioness looked at him fearfully.

"Dorian, you're creeping me out."

"Are we there yet?!" Dorian demanded like a spoiled child. Tin Girl's non-existent eyebrow twitched.

"We _might_ get there quicker if you'd quite bawling like a big baby!"

"Well _excuse_ me!" Dorian said. "We can't all be happy and smiling and Pollyanna-ish all the time, you know!" The Tin Girl shook her head in mock pity.

"You're weak." Dorian froze in his steps.

"Excuse me? What was that, bitch?!" Scarecrow, sensing hostility, said

"Guys, take it easy!" The Lioness whimpered, laying down and putting her paws over her eyes.

"I can't watch!"

"All you ever do is whine and complain!" Tin Girl snapped. "You think that the entire world revolves around you, and you haven't done anything to help. If it weren't for those boots, you'd already be dead ten times over!"

"I'm only human!" Dorian shouted back. "I'm not made of tin, or straw, or, God forbid, a lion! How do you expect me to use these boots if I don't even know how they work?!" Tin Girl got right up in his face, and Dorian was suddenly afraid that she was going to slice him up.

"Here's the thing about the world, pretty boy: only the strong survive! Take that little bird, for instance." She pointed at a little orange and white bird sitting on a branch behind them. Then, as Dorian watched, she knelt down, picked up a stone next to her feet, and threw it right at the bird, knocking it off the branch and onto the ground. Scarecrow and Lioness gasped. Tin Girl then walked over and picked the bird up.

"Oh, look at that. The poor thing's wing is broken, see?" She held the bird up by its broken wing to demonstrate, and the poor bird screeched in pain.

"Stop it!" Scarecrow said. Tin Girl ignored her and continued

"It doesn't have any chance of surviving without its flight." She then tossed the bird from hand to hand like it was a toy. "Maybe it'll starve to death. Or, more likely, some predator will come along and decide to have itself a feathery little snack." She tossed the bird up and caught it, the poor little thing continuing to screech in fear and pain the whole time. Finally, Tin Girl stopped and caught the bird in her hand.

"Either way, it'll soon be dead." Finally, Dorian had had enough.

"Knock it off! Leave it alone!" Tin Girl obliged, putting the bird on the ground next to some bushes. Dorian gave her a look that was half-disgust, half-shock.

"You ARE heartless." Toto ran over and started sniffing at the bird.

"Come on, Toto." he said. "Let's go." Toto ran over and joined his master as he walked off. The other two girls stared at Tin Girl before they all walked off.

Shortly after they left, a little bird flew out of the bushes.

**A/N**: _Yeah, I think we can all figure out who Scarecrow and Tin Girl were talking about in the beginning of the chapter. And yes, I genderbent their names from their human male counterparts in Wicked. Seriously, anyone who hasn't seen that play, GO SEE IT. But not before leaving me some reviews!_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

_Two munchkin children walk through the woods, laughing._

"_Catch me if you can, Lucy!" the boy shouts, laughing even harder as he starts running._

"_Not too far, Billy!" The girl shouts after him. "It's dangerous!" _

"_You worry too much!" Billy answers. "How dangerous can it-" He is then cut off after running into something solid. He falls on his rear, rubbing his head._

"_Are you okay?" Billy looks up...and lets out a cry of fear at what he sees. _

"_Billy? What's-" Lucy screams as she also sees the thing. Billy scrambles to his feet as he and Lucy start running off._

"_Wait a second!" The Tin Girl says. "I wasn't going to-"_

"_MONSTER!" The girl drew back like she had been shot. If she still had a heart, she knew it would've been torn in two._

"Tin? Hey, Tin?"

The Tin Girl blinked a couple times, coming out of her flashback.

"What are you doing here?" She asked Dorian.

"I-I thought you could use a hand." The boy answered. Bending down, he picked up a couple of the logs that Tin Girl had already chopped. He started to walk off, then stopped.

"Look, I was thinking about what you said earlier. And, well, you were right." Tin Girl turned her head slightly to indicate that she was listening, but not so much that her eyes were visible. She didn't say anything, however, and Dorian took this a sign to continue.

"I'm going to be honest, I don't really know how to treat other people. Growing up as an only child, I was the center of my mom and dad's universe. But then, they went and got divorced, and I didn't really know how to deal with it. My mom and I left my dad, everything changed, and I didn't understand what was going on. Mom had to work extra shifts to keep us going, and with her gone most of the time and Dad not around, I guess...I guess I just started lashing out at the world. I didn't know any other way." He looked down at the ground. "I guess you were right, Tin. I'm just a burden to everyone. You guys here in Oz, and my family back in Kansas." A couple more seconds of silence passed. Finally, Tin Girl spoke.

"The fact that you were able to admit that on your own means that there may be hope for you yet." A small smile crossed Dorian's face. He started to walk off again.

"Dorian." He stopped again.

"Yeah?" Tin Girl finally turned around to face him. Though her facial expression didn't change, Dorian could've sworn that her eyes looked just a little bit softer.

"It's Beka."

* * *

After lunch, the group was on their way again. Suddenly, Toto froze at Dorian's feet like he had seen a squirrel or something. He started to run off, and Dorian said

"Toto? Hey Toto, get back here!" Toto didn't listen, and just ran off further into the tall grass.

"I'll get him!" Scarecrow volunteered, running after the dog. As soon as she left, Lioness let out a yawn.

"Can we stop and rest for a while?"

"We just finished lunch." Dorian pointed out. "How can you be ti-" He yawned, then glared at her. "Great, now you've got me doing it!"

"Sor-" Lioness yawned again, then looked ahead. "Hey look, flowers." The other two followed her gaze. Ahead of them lay a field of bright red poppies.

"That's a lot of flow-" Dorian yawned again. Tin Girl, or rather Beka, looked between the two of them.

"What's wrong with you two?" At that moment, Scarecrow came back, holding a squirming and moss-covered Toto in her arms.

"Toto fell into a swamp." she explained. "I hope you don't mind if he's a little...green." She then saw Dorian's and Lioness' drooping eyelids and slightly slumping postures, like they were about to drop from exhaustion.

"Dorian? Lioness?" Suddenly, Toto stopped squirming and went still in her arms, letting out a yawn. Scarecrow started to ask Tin Girl what was going on, when suddenly she saw the poppy field out of the corner of her eye. Whipping her head around, she gasped.

"Oh no!"

"What is it?" Beka asked.

"I've heard of this field before!" Scarecrow said. "Oh man, I had no idea the Yellow Brick Road came through here!"

"This field-what's wrong with it?" Beka asked.

"This is the field of the poisoned poppies." Scarecrow said. "They fill the air with their sweet scent, lulling anything that smells it to sleep."

"So?"

"If you fall asleep here, you'll never wake up!" Scarecrow said, panicked. Beka's eyes widened. She turned back to Dorian and the Lioness, both of whom who were about to fall to the ground.

"Hey, idiots! Did you hear that?! Wake up!" She hit Dorian and Lioness on the head with the back end of her ax, snapping them back to full consciousness.

"Ow!"

"What the hell?!"

"You can't afford to fall asleep here!" Beka said. "If you do, then you really _will_ be dead weight!"

"Oh...**oh**!" Dorian said. "Right then, we've gotta..." He started to slump off to sleep again, only to be hit again. He then shook Lioness to keep her awake too. Scarecrow, meanwhile, shook Toto awake as well.

"Now what?" Beka asked. "Me and Scarecrow can go through this field no problem, but you guys can't risk falling asleep."

"And we can't just walk around it, that'll take forever!" Scarecrow pointed out.

"But the Emerald city is right _there_." Lioness said, looking at the tall green buildings in the distance. "We've come so..." She yawned again. Dorian followed suit, and absentmindedly trudged forward, right into the flowers.

"Dorian!" Beka said. As soon as the boy's feet touched the flowers, however, something happened. The flowers under his boots immediately burst into flame, burning into ash. Dorian woke up fully.

"Huh? What?" He looked down at the patch of field where there had once been flowers. He then looked at the boots, which he noticed had a faint glow around them.

"I wonder..." He stepped onto some more flowers, and they also burned up. Dorian gasped in realization.

"Dorian?" Scarecrow asked.

"You girls keep the other two awake!" Dorian shouted. "I have an idea!" Doing his best to ignore the flowers' scent, he started running through the field, scorching every flower the boots touched. Little by little, the Lioness and Toto started to wake up more.

"Wha-What's going on?" the Lioness asked.

"I think Dorian finally found a way to be useful." Beka smiled. Finally, all the flowers were gone. Dorian walked over to the girls, hot and sweaty.

"How are you feeling?" Scarecrow asked as she put Toto down.

"Tired." Dorian said. "But at least it's not from poison flowers." He grinned at the girls. "Next stop, Emerald City!"

**A/N**: _That's right! The group finally gets to the Emerald City; and to Ozia, in the next chappie, so stay tuned! And for those of you who are wondering about the boots' powers-well, that will be explained later. Just review, k? Reviews make me write faster!_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

The group of misfits stood before the giant green gates, staring in awe.

"Well...here we are." Dorian said in anticipation. A brief silence passed before Scarecrow asked

"Should we...knock?" Beka reached out a hand and rapped on the gate. A small slot near the top of the gate opened, and a pair of angry eyes looked out at them.

"Who goes there?" a shrill female voice answered.

"Um, hi!" Scarecrow said, waving. "We're here to speak to Ozia!" She then looked back at the others. "That _is_ why we're here, right?" Dorian and the Lioness nodded, while Beka just looked off to the side with an annoyed look on her face.

_I really wish that she would stop playing dumb..._

"Get lost!" the woman barked. "No one sees the Witch!"

"But we've come all this way!" the Lioness said sadly.

"Not my problem!" The woman said.

Suddenly, Dorian got an idea.

"Hey, don't tell me you haven't heard of me." He grinned. The gatekeeper raised an eyebrow.

"And who the Sam Hill are _you_ supposed to be?" she demanded.

"Oh, no one." Dorian smirked. "Just the guy who killed Nestor."

"Yeah right." The gatekeeper laughed. "Like a scrawny kid like you could've really-" Dorian raised his left foot so she could see the boot.

"Nestor's boots?!" The gatekeeper let out a sigh. "Alright, then. I believe you...for now. You may enter."

"And these girls, too." Dorian said.

"Okay, fine." The gatekeeper said. "You kids might want to stand back now, though." They obliged, and she opened the gate. The group all gaped in unison at the sights before them.

The first thing they noticed was that the city was green. Very, _very_ green. They almost had to squint. Also, all the buildings looked to be made of glass. All the people walking around on the streets wore green, too. Some were even eating green food-green popcorn, lemonade, etc.

"Well, now I know where to go for St. Patrick's Day." Dorian quipped.

"Well, hello there!" The group turned around to see a boy about a year or two older than Dorian walking up to them, a perky smile on his face. Like the other inhabitants of the city, he wore all green clothes-green overalls over a lighter green buttoned-up shirt, green gloves, and green shoes and socks. Even his hair was green. The only things about him that weren't green were his peach-colored skin and brown eyes.

"Welcome to the Emerald City, newcomers! How may I help you?"

"Uh yeah, hi." Dorian said. "We wanted to talk to Ozia, so if you could..."

"You want an audience with the Great and Powerful Ozia?" the boy asked, and his smile faded. "But...no one _ever_ speaks to Ozia!"

"Yeah, so we've heard." Dorian said. Beka facepalmed.

"Look, this guy killed Nestor, okay? See?" She used the handle of her ax to indicate to the wizard's boots. "Could Ozia make an exception for him?!"

"Killed Nestor?!" The boy asked. "You were the one who...well, that's..." He squeezed his chin with thought, as if debating with himself. Finally, he seemed to come to a decision.

"Well, alright then. I'll talk to Ozia, see if she'll meet with you lot. But until then, you'll need a place to stay. Come with me." The gang followed the boy to a two-story building that turned out to be an inn. They got two rooms-one for Dorian and Toto, and one for the Scarecrow and Beka. The Lioness, who was used to sleeping outside, opted to sleep out back. After the boy had gotten them checked in, he left to have a word with Ozia.

While the others either sat in the lobby or stayed in their rooms, the Lioness sat outside, staring out at the strange green city. Could Ozia really make her brave, she wondered? She hadn't always been this way. She was brave once-brave enough to be the head of her hunting pack. But then one day, she woke up and found that all her courage had disappeared. To this day, she didn't know what had happened. All she knew is that that was the day she fell from grace, even afraid of a tiny mouse.

_Could Elphias have been responsible for this?_ Her ears perked up as she heard approaching footsteps. The boy from before was coming back up the steps. He almost fell backwards as the Lioness jumped in front of him.

"Sorry." she apologized sheepishly.

"That's...alright." the boy said, still a bit rattled. He opened the door, and the Lioness bolted in before him, seeing the others in the lobby, Toto in Dorian's lap.

"Guys, he's back." The boy looked at all of them, his expression impossible to read.

"Well?" Dorian asked.

"Ozia will see you."

* * *

And that was how, later, the group found themselves walking along the great hall.

"Some words of advice before you speak to the Great Ozia." the boy said. "Get right to the point. She doesn't like it when people drag conversations on longer than necessary. Show respect when you speak to her. Be sure to bow or, in your case, curtsey." He said, with a meaningful look at the Scarecrow, the only one wearing a skirt. He then stopped right in the middle of the hall and gave them all a serious look.

"And, above all, do _not_ question her decision. Like I said, Ozia is a powerful witch. VERY powerful. What she says goes, and it wouldn't be wise to disagree with her. The last person who did..." He let out a shudder, and Dorian suddenly wondered if this was such a good idea. But it was too late to turn back, as the boy turned to a door and said

"Well, here we are." He grabbed the knob, turned it, and the door creaked open.

"My Lady?" he asked in a slightly shaking voice. "I've-I've brought them."

"_Send them in_." A female voice answered. The boy opened the door a little wider so that Dorian and the girls could enter, and Dorian could've sworn he saw him mouthing 'good luck'. The door closed, and suddenly the room was black as night. The darkness was short-lived, however, as fire burst to life in front of them. The large outline of a woman stretched out in front of them.

"_WHO DARES TO SEE OZIA, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL?!_" A voice thundered. Dorian and the others bowed (except for Scarecrow, who curtsied).

"Um, Ozia?" Dorian questioned, before he caught himself "**Great and Powerful **Ozia;" He took a breath, then quickly continued. "I'm Dorian Gale, from Kansas. I kinda got blown here in a tornado, and I was hoping that you could send me back where I came." The Scarecrow then stepped forward.

"I'm a scarecrow. I want brains." If Beka had eyebrows, she would've raised them. She had to admit, she was impressed with her acting skills. She then spoke up.

"I am called Beka. I was once flesh and blood, however, after receiving a cursed ax, my body was chopped up terribly, and now I am forced to inhabit this tin one. My desire is for my body to be restored." The Lioness whimpered as she walked up.

"I...I'm a lioness." She said in a trembling voice, cursing her cowardice. "I'm n-not very b-brave you see, so I..."

"_SPEAK UP!_" Ozia thundered. The Lioness let out a squeak, then all said in one breath

"IwantedyoutomakemebravesothatIcanbeacceptedintomy packagain!" She forced herself to resist the urge to stoop down and cover her eyes again. Ozia was quiet for a moment, pondering the group's respective wishes.

"_This is a lot you ask of me._" She finally answered. "_A very tall order, indeed. Were you any other group of travelers, I would've turned you down. However, my assistant tells me that the boy killed Nestor, the Wicked Wizard Of the East. And you wear his boots to prove it. Very well, then. I shall grant each of your desires. However, there is one thing I want of you four in return._" The group looked at her in anticipation, their breath caught in their throats (or, rather, just in Dorian's and the Lioness').

"_I want you all to seek out, and KILL Elphias, the Wicked Wizard of the West._"

"Kill Elphias?!" Dorian blurted out before he could stop himself. Beka elbowed him to shut him up, but the damage had been done.

"_You disagree with my verdict?!_"

"Um, n-no! No, ma'am!" Dorian said nervously. "You'll grant our wishes if we kill Elphias?"

"_If you manage to survive, yes._" Ozia answered. "_NOW GO!_" The gang walked out, taking care to close the door behind them.

"So...now we've got to kill Elphias." The Scarecrow said in a quiet voice.

"Fine by me." Beka said, gripping the handle of her halberd. Suddenly, Dorian noticed something as they were walking.

"Hey wait a second, where's Lioness?"

"Back there." Beka said, pointing down the hall, where the poor Lioness was at the door, a terrified look on her face. "Looks like she's paralyzed with fear." Dorian sighed.

"I'll get her." He walked down a couple of doors, until he reached the Lioness. "Come on Lioness, wake up. We've gotta..." He stopped when he heard a voice from behind the door.

"Dorian?" The Lioness asked.

"You go with the others." Dorian said. "I'll catch up." The Lioness slinked off down the hall, and Dorian put his ear to the door, trying to hear.

"...those fools actually think I'm going to help them!" It was Ozia's voice, only normal, and not magnified. "Though the power in his brother's boots will definitely lure Elphias in. Finally I'll be able to draw that coward out of hiding, and once he is out of the way, there will be one left to oppose me!"

"V-Very good, my lady." Came a second voice, that of the boy from earlier. Dorian's eyes widened in shock.

**A/N**: _Uh-oh, seems like Ozia isn't what she seems. Elphias finally makes his appearance in the next chapter, so keep reading!_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Dorian couldn't sleep that night. He lay awake staring at the ceiling, his mind full of thoughts. Ozia wanted them to kill Elphias, not for the good of the land, but because he was a threat to her somehow. She was a dictator, he could tell. It wasn't that crazy a thought. The green-haired boy had been afraid of her. Even when he and the others went to talk to her, her voice had a tone of commanding power in it, of pride and arrogance. Despite himself, Dorian couldn't help but wonder if Elphias was really as bad as everyone made him out to be.

The boy sat up straight, throwing the sheets off himself.

_Maybe a walk will clear my mind. _Quietly opening the door, he walked out of the room and down the hall, wondering how Aunt Henrietta and Uncle Ezra were doing back in Kansas. He walked over to the stairs, and froze when he saw another figure in the darkness. He started, before recognizing the shape.

"Beka?" He let out a small chuckle. "Rare to see you without your ax."

"Rare to see _you_ without that mutt of yours trailing behind you." He moved to sit behind her.

"You couldn't sleep either?"

"I don't need to sleep."

"Right." Dorian looked down at his feet awkwardly.

"I can guess what's got you up, though." Beka said with a grimace. "Morning just can't come fast enough." Dorian blinked.

"Huh?"

"When I see that bastard again, I'll chop him up like he did to me!"

"Again?" Dorian asked. Beka realized what she had said and glared off to the side.

"Get to bed." she said roughly. "You'll need to be fully rested for tomorrow." Dorian pulled himself up.

"What's with you?!" He demanded. "Sometimes you seem almost nice, but most of the time you're just...just..."

"Say it." Beka snapped.

"Heartless!" Yep, there it was. _That _word again. Beka snorted, despite her lack of lungs.

"If I had a quarter for every time I heard that..." Dorian's face softened.

"Beka..."

"No one looked at me the same after this." Beka said, looking down at her hands. "I've been hurt so many times since then that I eventually decided I was better off not having a heart."

"I don't believe that." Beka looked at Dorian in surprise. "Just because you keep your heart hidden from everyone doesn't mean you don't have one. Well, okay, technically you _don't_, because you're made of tin, but still..." Beka tilted her head so that Dorian couldn't see her face.

"**Go to bed**." Dorian just shrugged his shoulders and walked off.

"Alright then. I meant what I said, though." Beka hunched down and hugged her legs.

* * *

The next morning, after having breakfast, the gang left Emerald City.

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire." Lioness sighed, looking behind them at the green towers. The Scarecrow started to open her mouth to say something, but stopped herself. The hours dragged on as the gang got further and further away from the city. They were unusually quiet that morning. Everyone had their own personal conflicts, their own demons to face. The Scarecrow looked up at the sky, where a couple of birds flew overhead.

_Oh Elphias, where are you?_ Suddenly, she realized that the things above them weren't birds.

"Um, guys?" she said. The others followed her gaze upwards, and noticed more of the 'birds' flying closer to the ground-and towards them. One of them let out a long, loud screech, and that was when the truth dawned on them.

"Monkeys?" Dorian asked in disbelief. "_Flying _monkeys?!" Beka gripped her halberd, getting ready to hack up any monkeys that got close.

"They must be from Elphias!" One of the monkeys flew right towards them, its sharp canine teeth pulled back in a screech. With a swift move, Beka sliced it clean in two. More of the monkeys started to swarm them, however, and Dorian kicked at them, trying to get the power of the boots to activate.

"Get back!" he shouted. "Get away!" Nestor's boots weren't working, however, and Dorian was forced to run for his life. The Scarecrow, meanwhile, was even less lucky. Five of the monkeys picked her up and started to carry her off.

"Ahhhh! Get off me!"

"Hey!" the Lioness shouted, her anger overcoming her fear. "Get your paws off my friend!" At this last word, she let out a growl and pounced at the monkeys, knocking them, and Scarecrow, to the ground. Fortunately for Scarecrow, she couldn't feel anything, but she still looked on in fear. To her surprise, Lioness was actually doing really well. She knocked one monkey into a tree, then bit into another's throat, her eyes burning with determination. Beka kept swinging at the monkeys. However, they soon got wise to her tricks. One of them flew right into her back, and as she swung around, a couple of others tried to grab her halberd away from her.

"Hey! Let go, you filthy primates!" Dorian, meanwhile, was still on the run. He glared down at the boots.

"Why won't you work?! I'm in trouble here!" He suddenly stopped with a gasp as he realized where he was. Somehow, as he was running from the monkeys, he had run out to the edge of a mountain. One more step, and he would've gone falling over the edge.

"Damn." He turned around to try to head back, only to see that some of the monkeys had landed nearby, and were now crawling over to his feet, growling deep in their throats.

"DAMN!" He looked back down at the boots. "Come on, come on!" He knocked the heel of his right boot against the ground. Finally, the boots seemed to spark up.

"Yes!" Dorian kicked out at the monkeys, only for the closest one to grab his foot. With a final screech, it pushed him back. Dorian let out a scream as he went falling through the air. Beka, who was nearby, saw as Dorian fell.

"DORIAN!" Suddenly, Toto, who was with the Scarecrow and Lioness, took off running towards the ledge. To the girls' horror, he jumped after his master.

"Toto, now!" Lioness shouted. However, as the little dog soared downwards, something happened. Energy like purple flames surrounded his body, enveloping him completely. He changed direction, soaring towards Dorian. Finally, the energy cleared, and a new figure emerged, catching the teenager in its arms. It soared back up towards the top of the ledge, planting its feet firmly on the ground before setting Dorian down. The flying monkeys screeched and started to move to attack the newcomer; only for him to shoot a purple shockwave blast from his right hand, knocking them all out. As Dorian stared at the being who had once been his dog, the truth dawned on him.

"You-you're the wizard! Elphias!"

**A/N**: _Okay now, go back and reread the previous chapters, look for the little hints I left you along the way, and then, by all means, feel free to yell at me for playing with your minds this whole time XD Yes, Toto was really Elphias all along. Now what will become of Dorian and the girls? Stay tuned!_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Dorian stared at the man who had once been his loyal dog, feeling like a thousand bricks had just been dropped on him all at once.

The first thing he noticed was how _handsome_ Elphias was. When he had first heard that he was going to have a wizard after him, he expected a shriveled-up old man, most likely with a long white beard. However, Elphias couldn't have been older than his mid-twenties. He was also quite tall and lean, as opposed to Glindar's muscled frame. He had long black hair and the same black eyes that had always stared out at Dorian from his terrier's face. Elphias wore a black one-piece suit with a flowing light gray cape. The most unusual thing about his appearance was his skin, which was green.

Another bombshell fell on Dorian. This was _Elphias_. He had been warned about the wizard almost from the very second he came to Oz. And, from Dorian could see, he was very powerful. Dorian backed up, letting out a gasp.

"St-stay back!" He choked out, cursing himself for letting fear seep into his words. "I'm warning you!" It was stupid, Dorian knew it immediately. The wizard turned to face him, and Dorian bit his lip, hoping that he didn't look as scared as he felt. At that moment, however, Beka came jogging over to them.

"Dorian! Are you..." She froze immediately as she saw Elphias. Her eyes started burning with hatred. "_You!_" She ran towards the green-skinned wizard, and jumped in the air, letting out an angry cry as she raised her halberd to chop him in two. Elphias was faster, however. Raising his right arm, he swept it through the air, creating a purple, fiery force field in front of him. Beka was thrown backwards by the impact, but dug her heels into the dirt, undeterred. As she tried attacking again, the flying monkeys suddenly regained consciousness. Several of them flew in front of Elphias, shielding him.

"No!" One of them screeched. "You must not hurt him!"

"Get out of my way!" Beka shouted.

"What's with the shouting?" Scarecrow and Lioness joined the others, and gasped when they saw Elphias. All of Lioness' former bravery faded and she let out a whimper, a scared expression crossing her face. Scarecrow, however, just stared at him, mouth slightly agape, as if she couldn't believe her eyes. Finally, Elphias spoke.

"I think that's quite enough of this." He turned to the flying monkeys. "Ozia had you under her control, didn't she? Well, you're free now. You can go on your way."

"But...Master Elphias..."

"It'll be alright." Elphias assured them. The monkeys looked at him uncertainly, but flew off, leaving the group behind. Dorian blinked in confusion.

"Wait, so are you going to kill us now or something?" Elphias stared at him again, those thoughtful black eyes staring right through him.

"Dorian, we've been living under the same roof for two years. I traveled with you and the others for all this time. Don't you think that if I meant to harm any of you, I would've done so by now?"

"I'm not buying it." Beka snapped. Elphias didn't even flinch as she marched right up to him, pointing the tip of her halberd at his face. "Did you notice I kept your ax?! I thought it would be poetic justice if I killed you with the same enchanted ax you tried to kill me with."

"Ozia told you I did that, didn't she?" Elphias asked unflinchingly. Beka's eyes widened a little in...realization? It lasted for only a second, however, before her face hardened again. She raised her halberd again.

"Hang on, Beka!" Dorian said. "Back at the Emerald city, when I went back for Lioness, I overheard Ozia talking to that kid. I think...I think she's trying to take over Oz."

"That's crazy." Beka spat.

"Then tell me, why is it that nobody has ever seen her face?" Elphias asked matter-of-factly. Beka just glared at him. Elphias' eyes softened a bit. "Come on, Beka. We've known each other for years. I wouldn't lie to you." Now Dorian's head was spinning with all the facts. Toto was Elphias. He wasn't evil, at least not as far as he could tell. And now he and Beka had been _friends_ once?

"What Dorian says is true." Elphias continued. "I was Ozia's assistant once. She helped me hone my magical skills, made me grow the wings on those monkeys just now. It wasn't until later that I learned that she intended to use them as spies to scour the land for anyone who might oppose her. She's already coerced the Munchkins and Glindar over to her side, and has the entire Emerald City under her thumb. Haven't you noticed how afraid our guide was of her?" Beka lowered her ax. A long silence passed between the five of them. Without another word, she walked off into the woods, probably to mull things over. Dorian didn't go after her. He was too caught up in his own thoughts to get his legs to work. Elphias' eyes met Scarecrow's, and his eyes softened even more.

"E-Elphias..." She reached out to him, probably without being aware of it, and Dorian felt a nudge at his leg. Looking down, he saw the Lioness pulling on his pant leg.

"We should probably give them some alone time." She whispered. Dorian half-nodded and just let the Lioness pull him along, far too dazed to walk under his own power.

**A/N**: _Yeah, that was kind of a lame chapter. Sorry. I'll try to make the next one better, as well as reveal a bit more about Elphias' story. By the way, for those of you who didn't find the hints about Toto really being Elphias, here's a list:_

_-Dorian had a figurine of a wizard in his room_

_-'Toto' whimpers when he sees Nestor's feet under the house_

_-When Scarecrow/Fiyera sees him as Toto for the first time, she calls him 'enchanting'_

_-After Beka hurts the bird, 'Toto' sniffs at it. After the group leaves, the same bird flies out of the bushes_

_-When the group nears the poppy fields, he runs off to try to get Dorian to chase after him, in an attempt to lead him and the others away from the poppies. Also, when Fiyera finally catches him, she says he fell into a pond, and his fur is green from with algae_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

_A green teenage boy walked the streets, his younger brother at his heels. The younger boy coughed, and his brother looked at him with annoyance. _

"_You should have stayed in bed, Nestor." he scolded. "You're far too sick to be outside."_

"_It's just a slight cough!" Nestor, the younger boy, insisted. "I'm feeling much better today, really!" As the two boys walked along, the people around them looked at disgust at the older one, Elphias, whispering among themselves_

"_Such a horrid-looking boy..."_

"_He has skin the color of a frog..."_

"_...don't know why he even bothers coming outside." Nestor grabbed his brother's arm, trying to pull him away from the judgmental and prejudiced grown-ups._

"_Come on, Elphias, let's go back." _

"_Excuse me, Elphias?" Both brothers turned at the sudden voice. A girl with blonde pigtails stared at Elphias with big blue eyes, holding something in her hands. Elphias realized that it was a dying plant in a flowerpot._

"_I-I heard you do magic." The girl said in a quiet voice. "Do you think you can make my plant better?" _

"_Well, I can try." Elphias said, smiling a little at the fact that there was at least one person who didn't recoil at the sight of him. He raised his hands over the plant and closed his eyes, concentrating on his magic. Purple energy coursed through his hands and surrounded the plant as well. After a few seconds, the plant started to perk up on its own, then grew bigger and greener, coming back to life. A big grin spread across Elphias' face. His glee was short-lived, however, as the plant grew too big, bursting out of its pot. The blonde girl dropped it to the ground, where it continued to grow, reaching the size of a small horse. Vines reached out and grabbed several of the townspeople, as well as knocking over a nearby fruit stand, causing the fruit to spill everywhere, and breaking open a hen-house, enabling the chickens to scatter._

"_Elphias, stop it!" Nestor pleaded. Panicked, Elphias closed his eyes again, focusing this time on stopping. The plant exploded, leaving green goop everywhere. Elphias couldn't help but whimper a little as he looked at the mess he had made. The fruit vendor futilely tried to gather his fruits up, while an old lady chased after her chickens. One man pointed an accusing finger at the boy._

"_This was because of him! This is all Elphias' fault!"_

"_Yeah!" the crowd agreed._

"_Hey, leave him alone!" The blonde girl spoke up. "At least he tried! He can't help it if he can't completely control his powers!" Elphias stared at her in surprise. After what just happened, he expected her to be on the adults' side._

* * *

_Six years later, Fiyera, the blonde, was sitting at a table with Nestor, Glindar, and a young girl, Beka, whom Nestor had become friendly with. All of them were drinking hot drinks. _

"_How are you feeling, Nestor?" Beka asked with concern. _

"_I've been feeling much better lately." He answered. Just then, the door opened and Elphias came in._

"_Elphias!" Fiyera said happily. _

"_I know that smile, big brother." Nestor said. "What happened?"_

"_You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Elphias said. _

"_Try us." Glindar challenged. _

"_I got a message today from Ozia." Elphias answered. "She wants to hire me as an apprentice."_

"_No way!" Beka said. _

"_Really?" Nestor said in disbelief._

"_Elphias, that's wonderful!" Fiyera said. "You'll really be able to hone your powers now!"_

"_That's what I'm hoping for." Elphias said, hugging her. He then looked at Nestor. "I'll heal your sickness soon, I promise."_

* * *

_A couple of months passed by, and Elphias was learning much under Ozia. _

"_Very good, Elphias." Ozia, an older woman in either her late forties or early fifties smiled. Her hair was long and slightly graying, and she had a couple lines in her face. "You're a fast learner."_

"_Thank you, ma'am." Elphias smiled. _

"_Now," Ozia started, "I have another task I need you to do for me." She led him down the hall, to a room full of monkeys. "Do you think you could grow a pair of wings on all of these monkeys?" Elphias raised an eyebrow in surprise. However, he knew better than to question his mistress. "I'll-I'll do my best, but it will take a lot of magic." Ozia just gave him an encouraging smile, and Elphias raised his hands. They glowed with magic, and Elphias concentrated on the monkeys. They all screeched in pain as a pair of wings burst out of all of their backs. Elphias gasped in horror as he realized the pain he was causing them. He lowered his arms, stopping as Ozia came behind him. _

"_No. Don't stop." Elphias couldn't see the evil smirk on her face, nor when she reached her hand out to touch his shoulder. As she touched him, a ruby she was wearing on the back of her hand glowed, and Elphias gasped as he felt his power being drained from him. He managed to break free of her grasp, however, in his weakened state, he fell to the ground. Shocked, he looked up at his mistress, and suddenly noticed her cruel look as power, **his **power, he realized, coursed through her._

"_Such incredible power." she purred. "I knew it would be a good idea to take you on as an apprentice. I've heard of you, Elphias. I heard how powerful you were." As Elphias continued to stare at her with shock and horror, the witch went on _

"_Even only a little of your power is more than enough to enforce my rule over Oz. And now, with these servants you've given me, I can keep an eye out for those who would go against me." Elphias gasped as he realized the truth. Pulling himself up, he turned back to the monkeys._

"_Now, what do you think you're going to do?" Ozia asked. To answer her question, Elphias used his magic to open all the cages._

"_Go!" Elphias shouted to the monkeys. "Be free!" Now it was Ozia's turn to look horrified._

"_NO!" Elphias turned and glared at her._

"_I'm going to tell everyone what you really are!"_

"_Who would believe you?!" Elphias didn't answer. He just ran out the door._

* * *

_Things soon went wrong after that. Ozia turned almost the whole land against Elphias, spreading rumors that he was a wicked wizard who wanted to overthrow her and rule Oz with an iron fist. And, of course, everyone believed her, like she said. The only people who still trusted Elphias were Fiyera, Nestor, Glindar, and Beka. One day, angry townspeople showed up at Fiyera's doorstep, armed with pitchforks._

"_Where is Elphias?! Tell us!"_

"_I don't know!" Fiyera answered honestly._

"_She's lying!" a man said. "She's friends with the wizard!"_

"_I say we take her out the fields and torture her until she confesses!" Another man said. Two of the men grabbed Fiyera by either arm and carried her off. Elphias, who was nearby, saw this. He tried to magically throw the men off Fiyera, but he was still too weak from Ozia draining him._

"_I may not be able to do much," he said, "But at least I can stop them from hurting you!" He held out his hand, and it glowed with magic. The townsmen let out a simultaneous cry of surprise. Elphias closed his eyes. _

"_I'm sorry, Fiyera." He opened his eyes again and stared at the sky. "It'll be too dangerous for the others as well if I stay here." He narrowed his eyes. "You win, Ozia. I'm leaving Oz."_

**A/N**: Well, I hope that explained things a bit. And yes, I decided to have Nestor be sick as yet another Wicked reference. I think Ozia's true nature is now clear to everyone...well, please review, even if you didn't like it, just to tell me how bad I suck!


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

That evening, Elphias found Dorian sitting on a tree trunk, staring blindly ahead.

"Dorian?" Dorian turned his head slightly to indicate that he was listening, but not so much so that his eyes were visible. Elphias looked off to the side awkwardly. He could only imagine what this must be like for the boy, finding out that his beloved dog was really a wizard in disguise this whole time, not to mention one that, until recently, he had believed was evil. Elphias cleared his throat and tried again.

"Dorian..."

"I can't believe this." Elphias bit down on his bottom lip. "Well, I can imagine this is a lot to take in..."

"Hell yeah it is!" Dorian said, getting up suddenly and staring at the wizard. "I mean, all this time...even on my lonely nights!" Elphias shuddered at the memory.

"Yeah...those were...disturbing." He then looked at Dorian with serious black eyes. "You're probably wondering why I left Oz, aren't you?"

"It was Ozia, wasn't it?" Elphias froze.

"You're a smart kid, Dorian." He nodded. "She was powerful-and not just in terms of magic. When I found out about her true nature, she spread rumors about me. Naturally, everyone believed her. I wasn't well-liked even before that. The Ozians started to cry out for my blood. I won't lie-I was scared. Not just for myself, but for the people I cared about. I couldn't protect them. Not Fiyera...and not Nestor." His eyes then fell to Dorian's boots, and a look of genuine sadness crossed his face. "My younger brother was sick even from his earliest childhood. Some months before running away, I made those boots for him. I couldn't cure his illness, but I could at least make sure that he was safe from harm. Doesn't look like they worked as well as I thought after all." Dorian remembered the sight of Nestor's feet under his house, and his heart went out to him. Bending down, he pulled off the boots and held them out to Elphias.

"Here. I don't want them. You should take them. You made them for your brother, after all." Elphias smiled sadly.

"As much as I appreciate the gesture, you should keep them, at least for now. They might come in handy later. Besides, taking them wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't bring Nestor back." Dorian's hands clenched into fists. "I bet Ozia is the one who caused the tornado."

"Perhaps." Elphias shrugged. "I wouldn't put it past her." Silence passed between the two of them.

"So...now what?" Dorian asked.

"Now that I've revealed myself, I see no point in hiding anymore." Elphias said, determination written on his face. "I'm going to put an end to Ozia's tyranny, and reclaim the land for the people."

"Me too." The boys turned around simultaneously, and saw Scarecrow, aka Fiyera coming from behind some trees.

"Fiyera..." Elphias started.

"I've seen what Ozia is capable of." Fiyera said. "She hurt us all, Elphias. I'm coming with you."

"Fiyera, no, it's too dangerous." A humorless chuckled escaped Fiyera's throat.

"What could she do to me?" She held out her arms like she was on her pole again.

"I'm coming too." Beka announced, brandishing her halberd. "I've done some thinking, Elphias. I was so angry over what happened to me that I didn't think straight. After all the stories about you turning evil, I was ready to blame you. I'm sick of this body. But more than that, I'm sick of always being so angry, and hiding my heart away." This last line she said with a meaningful look at Dorian, and he smiled a little, despite himself.

"I want to help, too!" Everyone looked down at the Lioness. "If Ozia is really as bad as you're all saying...well..." She gulped then shook her head, gathering her courage. "I want to do something great. I want to be brave again. And I can't think of any better way than by helping you all."

"Count me in." Dorian finally piped up.

"Dorian, no." Elphias said. "I can't allow you to risk your life like that!"

"But why not?" Dorian shrugged. "You're letting them go with you." He indicated towards the girls, and Elphias scowled. "That's different. You're just an ordinary human. An ordinary _teenage_ human."

"An ordinary teenage human with a pair of magic boots!" Dorian said, motioning to the boots, which he had just put back on.

"Dorian..." Elphias sighed.

"No way, pal." Dorian said decisively, shaking his head. "You're not talking me out of this. Back when you were a dog, you were always there for me when I needed you. Now I'm going to return the favor To...I mean, Elphias." He sighed. "I am never going to get used to that." Elphias stared at him.

"She's a very powerful witch."

"I know."

"She's the ruler of this land. She's likely to have guards everywhere, maybe even an army."

"I don't care. I haven't thought of anyone but myself during this whole thing." He grinned. " I figure it's time for a change." Elphias continued to stare at him in silence for a few seconds. Then, slowly, a smile crept its way onto his face. He was proud of how far Dorian had come from the whiny kid who shut everyone out and committed vandalism for attention. He then looked around at all the girls. He wasn't alone in this. He had allies who trusted him, who would help him defeat Ozia. Elphias felt his heart soar.

"Alright, then." He finally agreed. "Everyone get some rest, then. If you're going to stop Ozia, you'll need to stay sharp."

"Okay." Lioness smiled. Dorian started to follow her, but then felt the cold touch of Beka's hand around his rest. He turned around to face her.

"Well," Beka started. "You know I don't have to sleep. So um, if...if you needed a bodyguard while _you _sleep..." Dorian just smiled.

"Okay." If he didn't know any better, he could've sworn he saw a blush on her cheeks as she led him into a thicket, away from the others.

_I didn't know tin could blush._

**A/N**_: For those of you who were wondering, Dorian secretly watches My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic on his lonely nights. What? What did you guys think he did?! Sheesh, get your minds out of the gutter XD So yeah, things are gonna get tense now._


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Glindar stood atop a hill, looking out over the Land of Oz. A golden field of corn caught his eye, and a sad look crossed his face. The stalks reminded him of _her_. He wondered if she was still standing out in a field somewhere.

Once upon a time, Glindar had loved Fiyera. But she didn't love him back. Her heart belonged to the _other _wizard in their little group. At the time, Glindar didn't understand it. He remembered how jealous he had been, the rage that had been seething inside of him.

"_What's so great about him?!" _He had thought. _"What does Fiyera see in him?! He's a freak! A freak who can barely even control his magic!"_ Over time, however, Glindar had gotten over his petty jealousy, and he and Elphias had actually grown to be friends.

Everything changed, however, after Elphias betrayed Ozia. Ozia recruited Glindar to be the official Wizard of the North. Glindar had been excited, of course. He thought that that meant using his magic for the good of Oz, helping people and keeping an eye out for Elphias and other evil people like him.

However, the blond man quickly learned that he was little more than Ozia's lapdog. He had to obey every order she gave him, no matter how bizarre...or cruel. Once, Ozia had told him to go to the haunted forest and remove all the courage of the alpha lioness.

"_Lions are a strong and proud race." _Ozia explained. _"I don't doubt that one day, they could get bold enough to try rising up and overthrowing the humans of this land. That would be a great tragedy. We wouldn't want anyone to get mauled, would we?"_

"_I can't imagine the lions wanting anything to do with humans. They're happy keeping to themselves in the wild." _That's what Glindar had _wanted_ to say. Instead, he just nodded dumbly and blindly carried out Ozia's command like a puppet on a string. That's what he was now, he thought bitterly. Glindar didn't know what was right anymore. Of course, he didn't _dare _say that to Ozia's face. He was too much of a coward. He didn't want to end up like Elphias. Glindar sighed bitterly.

"Elphias-he was a much braver man than I could ever hope to be."

* * *

Dorian and the others, minus Elphias, walked back through the gates of Oz, back into the green city. The green-haired guide from before let out a squeak when he saw them.

"B-Back so soon?!" He asked, nervousness evident in his voice.

"Yeah." Dorian said gruffly. "It was easy."

"Impossible!" The boy said, his voice so high that only dogs could hear it.

"You're talking to the guy who already took out _one _wizard." Dorian said. "Plus, I had back-up this time." He indicated towards the girls, and Beka stroked the tip of her halberd to add to the illusion.

"So tell Ozia that we want another appointment with her." She said. "And in case she needs evidence that we really killed him, give her _this_." She handed the boy a wooden box and, upon opening it, almost vomited at the sight of Elphias' decapitated head.

"Gah! V-Very well, then." He took the group back to the same inn they had stayed at before, and, not even an hour later, returned.

"O-Ozia will see you. The, well, you-know-what caught her interest." The group all rose as one and followed him back to the Great Hall. After letting them in to see the witch, he ran off, and Dorian had the suspicion that he was going off to go be sick somewhere.

Once again, the group was greeted with the flames and silhouette that stretched out in front of them.

"So, you have returned." Ozia said. Her voice, while still holding an obvious element of power, was not as intimidating as before, and had more of a purring quality in it. "I must say, I'm amazed that you came back so fast. But I'm even more amazed that you were able to create such a convincing illusion." A pumpkin flew out and landed at Lioness' paws.

"Busted." she whispered to Fiyera, who motioned for her to keep quiet.

"Tricking me like that...I can't decide whether you lot are very foolish or very bold." Dorian bit his lip.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't annihilate you all right now."

"For starters, you don't have that kind of power." Ozia drew back involuntarily as she recognized the voice.

A spire of purple fire shot up in front of Dorian and the girls, revealing Elphias. He glared at the woman.

"Ozia. It's been a while."

**A/N**: _Yeah, this was a short chapter. Sorry about that. Well, I'll be sure the next one is much better, it is the final fight, after all! Yes, Glindar is still in the story. I hope this helped to explain his character more, as well as explain the Lioness' backstory. By the way, for those of you who are wondering about the characters' ages, Beka is 17 like Dorian, Glindar, Fiyera, and Elphias are 22, and Nestor was 20 before he died. Hope that answers some questions._


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

"Oh. It's you."

"Didn't expect to see me again, did you?" Elphias asked.

"Well, not like this." Ozia stepped out of the shadows, and Dorian and the others finally saw her clearly. She looked older than when Elphias had last seen her, though she still couldn't be older than her late forties. She was wearing a long green dress with white gloves, and she had cut her hair.

"I suspected that you'd return once word spread of your brother's little...accident."

"You created the tornado, didn't you?" Fiyera asked intuitively. The witch's smile grew wider.

"Pretty smart for a scarecrow."

"But why?" Dorian asked. "Why my house? Why _me_?"

"Young man, this had nothing to do with you." Ozia said. "The fact that you were even involved in all of this was nothing more than coincidence." She turned back to Elphias. "See, after you betrayed me and ran off, I had those winged monkey servants you made for me follow you around and spy on you. They told me of the portal you created to Kansas, so I created a tornado to pick up a house there and transport it to Oz, so that I could get the 'drop' on dear Nestor. Yours just happened to be the closest to the storm." This last line she directed at Dorian, and Elphias grit his teeth in anger.

"Evil, conniving..."

"It was easy to turn the entire country against you." Ozia continued, cutting him off. "You were already an outcast among your fellow countrymen. And with the power I managed to siphon off you, it was all the simpler. Like cursing that ax there, and sending it to your former friend." She looked at Beka's halberd, and the Tin Girl glared at her with pure venom.

"Or convincing that oaf Glindar to turn the once-proud alpha lioness into a complete and utter coward." For just a second, Lioness' cowardice disappeared, and she wanted nothing more than to sink her claws into the woman.

"I still don't understand!" Dorian said. "Why drain Elphias' magic? Why set him up as your fall guy?! Why send Glindar to do your dirty work?!"

"Yes, tell us, Ozia." Elphias said. "Tell us that you have no power of your own."

"Well, not magically, maybe." Ozia said with a shrug. She indicated to the ruby she wore on the back of her hand. "See, once upon a time, I was just an ordinary country girl from Kansas." She grinned at Dorian as she said this. "We're not so different in that regard, boy. Then one day, I found _this_. At the time, I didn't know of its power, but I held onto it anyway. It turned out to be a good thing I did. One day, when I was in a hot air balloon, a rip opened in the sky and brought me here. The first person to find me was the Wizard of the North, Prospero. I was still quite young and attractive at the time, and I could tell right away that his intentions for me weren't exactly noble."

_A young Ozia climbs out of her damaged balloon, her hair messed up and her clothes torn, showing some cleavage. A lusty look crosses Prospero's face as he sees her, and his uses his magic to bring her closer to him. Ozia starts writhing in mid-air in a vain attempt to escape. The frightened young woman can practically smell the sleaziness emanating off of the old wizard as he reaches out his hand to touch her. Letting out a scream, she slaps Prospero's hand away. However, as her hand touches his, the ruby glows, and Prospero feels a brief, but noticeable, jolt of pain as his magic is drained from him. His hold on Ozia fades, and she lands on her feet on the ground, looking at the ruby in surprise. Getting an idea, she lunges at Prospero and, before he can escape, she grabs him, draining away even more of his magic. _

"Before long, I was found by some munchkins. They assumed that I was a witch, and I got the idea to keep the belief going. I used my newfound powers to help the munchkins, and, after Prospero died in an accident some weeks later, I was the most powerful and beloved person in Oz. I spread rumors of my greatness, and started calling myself Ozia, to raise myself to a position of power. After some years, however, my magic started to fade. Fortunately, some new wizards came along-Elphias, Nestor, and Glindar. I had my spies keep an eye on them, so that I could take one of them on as an apprentice, while in reality feeding off their power. After hearing of Elphias' powers, I had to take him on. With that kind of magic at my fingertips, I could rule Oz forever. Unfortunately, he escaped before I could drain him completely."

"So basically, you were an ordinary person who came here by chance, and used a magical item to lie your way into a position of power." Beka grimaced.

"Yes." Ozia admitted. "But aside from the magical item, that's just like every politician ever. I don't understand what you're all so upset about."

"You framed an innocent man, killed his brother, hurt innocent people, and turned this place into a dictatorship." Dorian shot back. "Pretty good reasons to be upset, if you ask me."

"Why are you telling us all this, anyway?" Lioness asked. Ozia smirked.

"Well, why not?" Her hands glowed with magic, and she hovered in the air. "After all, it's not like you'll be alive long enough to tell anyone."

**A/N**: _Fight next chapter, I promise! BTW, I got the name Prospero from Shakespeare's 'The Tempest'. I hope this chapter at least answered a couple questions._


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Beka was the first one to move. She jumped in front of Dorian, shielding him with her halberd as Ozia shot lightning at him. Elphias used his own powers to levitate, throwing a shield around Dorian and the girls to protect them before moving to attack the witch.

"Is he going to be okay?" Dorian asked worriedly.

"I wouldn't worry about him." Fiyera said. "If Elphias is even half as powerful as he was two years ago, he should be able to take care of himself." Despite her words, she looked on nervously as her love battled Ozia.

_Please, Elphias. Please be okay._

Ozia shot a wall of ice at Elphias, which he countered by shooting flames at her. The witch threw spell after spell at Elphias, which he dodged before drawing his hand back and shooting his own spell at her, canceling out her attack. Ozia looked at her hand in annoyance, and Elphias took the opportunity to hit her square in the chest. Ozia went flying backwards with an alarmed cry, but caught herself in mid-air, glaring at the green-skinned man.

"I see your years in the other world haven't diminished your powers any."

"I've been practicing." Elphias said.

"Well, that would explain why it took him forever to come in at night." Dorian said thoughtfully.

"Your powers seem to be fading though, old woman." Ozia glared at the ruby on her hand, which had started flashing.

"No matter. I can still turn things in my favor." She snapped her fingers, and the top of Elphias' shield opened up. Dorian and Fiyera were pulled out, and magically dragged to the center of the hall, where they were suspended over Ozia's flames.

"Dorian! Fiyera!" Lioness shouted.

"No!" Beka shouted. She tried to jump out through the opening in the force field, but it closed back up. Elphias started to fly over to try and rescue his friends, but Ozia waved her hand and energy bonds flew from her fingertips, wrapping themselves around the wizard, keeping him frozen in midair.

"Don't bother struggling." Ozia said. "I've been perfecting this spell for years. Not even 'The Wicked Wizard of the West' could break it." A cruel smile spread across her face. "So tell me, Elphias, which of these two should I kill? The boy you've formed such a close bond with-or the love of your life? We both know that, as durable as she may be in this form, she isn't immune to fire." Fiyera looked down at the flames rippling just beneath her feet. Despite not having a flesh body with organs, she felt her heart stop.

"Of course, there _is _a third option." Ozia continued. "Surrender, willingly relinquish your powers, and I'll let your little friends go." Elphias looked from Dorian to Fiyera, his heart racing. He didn't want this madwoman ruling Oz any longer, but he didn't want any harm to come to the others, either. Finally, he made his decision, and bowed his head, defeated. Ozia laughed.

"You really are an arrogant fool." She clucked. "You're no match for me, magic or no magic." She released Elphias from the bonds and placed him on the floor.

"Now, before I suck you dry, bow before your mistress." Her eyes narrowed viciously, and Dorian glared at her.

"Lady, you really _are _a witch! With a capital 'B'!"

Finally, Beka managed to break through Elphias' force field. The Lioness let out a ferocious roar as she jumped at Ozia, knocking her to the ground as Beka ran to save Dorian as he fell. Elphias, likewise, went to save Fiyera.

"Are you alright?" Beka asked.

"Aside from landing on tin, yeah, I'm fine." Dorian said. He looked into Beka's purple eyes, and smiled as he saw genuine concern and affection in them.

"I knew you had a heart." Despite herself, Beka allowed a small smile to cross her face. The two were then snapped back to reality as Lioness landed next to them. Beka put Dorian down, and raised her halberd. Likewise, Dorian clicked his heels together, activating the power of the boots. As Lioness pulled herself up, the five of them moved to attack Ozia. Beka ran towards the witch, avoiding the blasts the witch sent at her, and jumped. Ozia moved in time to avoid being cleaved in two, but not fast enough to avoid getting a cut in her arm. She let out a scream of pain and Elphias held out his hand to Dorian.

"Dorian!" Dorian took his hand wordlessly, and Elphias used his magic to launch him into the air. Spinning, Dorian kicked Ozia in the face, sending her into the wall. Lioness ran at Ozia again, this time sinking her teeth into the ruby on her right hand. Ozia realized, to her horror, that she was trying to break it.

"NO!" She charged up her other hand to blast the big cat away, only for Fiyera to toss the pumpkin from earlier at her. Suddenly, in between all the chaos, the door flew open. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at the newcomer.

"Glindar!"

**A/N**: _Muahahaha! I'm the queen of cliffhangers! Still, not so sure how much I like the fighting scene :/ Anyway, we're now near the end of the story, probably only a chapter or two left. _


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

Time seemed to stand still as Glindar stood in the doorway, staring wordlessly at the scene before him. Dorian bit his lip nervously, worried about what would happen now. Finally, Ozia spoke up.

"Glindar! Elphias has brainwashed the boy and the others! They plan to destroy me and take over Oz!"

"I heard everything." Glindar said tonelessly. "And I'm not the only one." He stepped aside to reveal the green-haired and clothed boy, as well as the flying monkeys.

"How..."

"This has gone on long enough, Ozia." Glindar said. "For too long you've had me, and all of Oz, under your thumb. It's time to end this. I will no longer be your puppet!" At that moment, something inside the fake witch snapped.

"Go spread the word." Glindar said to the flying monkeys. "Tell them that Oz-"

He didn't get a chance to finish. Ozia blasted a hole through his stomach. Glindar let out a choked cry and collapsed to the ground.

"Glindar!" Elphias started to pull himself up, but a bright light suddenly exploded behind him, throwing the Lioness across the room. Ozia rose into the air again, an insane laugh escaping her throat. She'd gone completely crazy. The thought of being exposed as a fraud and losing all of her power after all her hard work was too much for her to bear.

"I never thought...never in my wildest years did I imagine that it would come to this!" Ozia laughed. "Having my rule challenged by a scarecrow, a tin girl, a lioness, a wizard, and his little boy, too!" She grinned madly at the others as she finished

"Fine then! If I'm going down, I'm taking all of you with me!"

"She's lost it!" Beka shouted, holding onto Fiyera to keep her from being sucked up into the vortex.

"Take Glindar to safety and get out of here!" Elphias shouted at the others.

"What about you?!" Dorian shouted back.

"I will not let her have the pleasure of destroying Oz." The wizard answered cryptically. Dorian was about to protest, but Beka pulled him away as she and the others ran out of the Great Hall. The green-haired boy hoisted Glindar over his shoulder as they fled for their lives. As the strange crowd ran through the halls, they ran into quite a few onlookers.

"What's going on?"

"What's happening?!"

"Is that Glindar the Good?"

"Is he hurt? What happened?!"

"No time to explain!" Glindar answered in response. "If you value your lives, evacuate immediately!" The Ozians didn't need to be told twice. They ran out screaming, and Dorian and the others soon found themselves crowded.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea." the Lioness said.

"Not a problem!" One of the winged monkeys said. "Leave this to us!" He and the other winged monkeys flew off to direct the panicked people to different exits, and soon everyone was able to get out safely. When everyone was far from the building, a blinding light burst through the roof, and the crowd watched in horror as the building collapsed in on itself.

"ELPHIAS!" Fiyera screamed. Dorian stared in open-mouthed horror, assuming the worst. He stared down at the ground helplessly as Fiyera sunk on her knees next to him, burying her face in her hands.

Suddenly, bright purple flames burst to life in front of the crowd, and Elphias appeared in front of them, tossing Ozia to the ground. She was completely broken, weeping in a pitiful heap at their feet.

"IT'S ELPHIAS!" A man shouted.

"What did he do to the Great Ozia?!"

"Let's get him!" The townspeople started to rush forward, but the Lioness jumped in front of them.

"Wait!" she shouted. "He isn't what you think!"

"It's true!" the green-haired boy shouted. "He saved us all!" Elphias held out his hand, and Dorian looked to see the shattered pieces of Ozia's ruby. He smiled, knowing that Ozia wasn't going to be a threat to Oz anymore.

"Dorian?" Elphias asked.

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you give those boots of yours to Glindar? It looks like he's in need of their healing powers."

"'Kay." Dorian said. As he knelt down to undo the boots, Elphias turned to the girls.

"Care to help me explain?"

* * *

About an hour later, Elphias explained the whole story to the Ozians, with some help from his friends, as well as Glindar. The townspeople looked down at the ground in shame.

"All this time-I had no idea." a big mustachioed man said.

"We're sorry, Elphias." a woman said. "For everything."

"Me too." The newly-healed Glindar said, putting a hand on Elphias' shoulder. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you, buddy."

"So what are we going to do about her?" Beka asked, indicating to Ozia with the hilt of her halberd. "Frankly, I'd like nothing better than to kill her, but..."

"Doesn't look like she can hurt anyone now." Fiyera pointed out.

"Spending the rest of her life in prison should suffice." Glindar said. "It's the least she deserves."

"Well, now that that's settled, there're some changes to be made if we hope to undo the damage Ozia has done." Elphias said. "But first," He turned to Dorian and the girls, a warm smile on his face. "I believe you four had wishes you wanted granted."

**A/N**: _Next chapter is the last one! Please, PLEASE leave reviews, people! Seriously, it seems like I've been getting less and less, and that really upsets me because I've been working hard on this story! Come on, even if it's to tell me what a lousy writer I am!_


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

"Well?" Elphias asked. "Who wants to go first?" Dorian and the girls just stared at him in surprise, not believing it.

"What's what the surprised faces?" Elphias asked, smile never leaving his face. "You were all a great help to me. You helped rid Oz of a power-mad tyrant. The least you deserve is one wish each."

Finally, the Lioness stepped forward.

"I want my courage." She said boldly. "I want my courage back, so that I may prove myself as a true lioness again, and be accepted back into my pride." Glindar chuckled a little, walking up to her.

"Don't you see? You've had your courage all along."

"Huh?" The Lioness blinked.

"A lion's, or, in your case, _lionesses_' courage is one of their dominant qualities. Even when Ozia told me to take your courage, I found that it was an impossible task. All I could manage to do was seal it away. However, it seems that my spell has been fading little by little."

"It's true." Elphias smiled warmly at her. "You've shown great courage throughout this whole journey. I'm sure your pride will accept you back with open paws when they hear of your actions." A smile slowly crossed the Lioness' face. Dorian couldn't recall a time when she'd ever looked happier. She walked back to the rest of the group, and Fiyera stepped forward. A blush crossed her face.

"Elphias-you can probably guess what I want."

"A brain?" Elphias joked.

"Hey!"

"I'm just kidding!" Elphias laughed. "You want to be changed back, right?"

"Yes." Fiyera answered. "After all, I don't want to scratch your face when we kiss." This last part she whispered to herself, but Dorian heard it anyway. Elphias held out his right hand, and a purple mist emanated from his fingertips, swirling around Fiyera. After a few seconds, the mist faded, and Dorian's eyes widened.

Fiyera was no longer a scarecrow. Her clothes were the same, but she was flesh now, with long blonde pigtails and big blue eyes that gave her a child-like look. Fiyera let out a gasp, touching her face. Her eyes filled with happy tears as she smiled at the man she loved. She was so happy that she couldn't keep from throwing herself at him, planting her lips on his. Elphias' eyes widened in surprise before he relaxed into the kiss, throwing his arms around her. They looked so happy together, so in love. It was obvious how long both of them had waited for this moment, how passionate they were about their feelings for each other. Dorian didn't want to interrupt the moment.

So Beka beat him to it, clearing her throat. Elphias and Fiyera reluctantly pulled away from each other, both blushing.

"Sorry." Elphias apologized, and Dorian wasn't sure whether he was talking to Fiyera or Beka. "You want to be human again too, right?"

"Not anymore. I've changed my wish." Dorian's breath caught in his throat. Had he heard right?

"That _is_ what I wanted at first." Beka continued. "To have my human body back. But I've come to realize that there's more to being human than being flesh and blood. Someone helped me realize that, helped me find my heart again." She looked meaningfully at Dorian, a warm smile on her face. "I haven't known Dorian for long, but now I can't imagine living without him. And I don't mind if I have to stay in this tin shell for the rest of my life, if that means I can protect him." She looked at Elphias seriously, saying "I want to stay with Dorian! That is my wish."

"You wish to follow him back to Kansas?" Elphias asked. Beka nodded. "Well, that's out of the way." Elphias announced. "Just one wish left." He turned to Dorian.

"Well, how about it, Dorian? Would you mind Beka's presence in Kansas?" Dorian was silent. What could he say? If Beka came with him, she'd have to hide all the time. A sentient ax-wielding tin girl would raise more than a few questions. If she was ever discovered, she'd be taken by the government, maybe experimented on and locked away for the rest of her life.

But how could he deny her wish? Beka had helped him as much as he had helped her. She had helped him grow as a person, discover more about himself than he ever knew. He wasn't the same Dorian Gale who had been blown into Oz several weeks before. He was more mature, more thoughtful and selfless. _She _had done that. She had made him a better person.

Dorian's hands balled into fists.

"Dorian?"

"No. No, I wouldn't." Dorian finally answered. He smiled at Beka. "You've been so angry and bitter for so long. I figure it's about time you had some happiness in your life." He took her hand, and Dorian could've sworn he saw her eyes water.

"Now I _know_ I have a heart." She whispered.

"Your wish is granted." Elphias raised his arms, and the skies darkened as a tornado appeared in the distance.

"What's going to happen to you?" Dorian shouted over the twister.

"I'll be fine." Elphias shouted back. "I'll do what I can to restore Oz to it's former glory." He smiled sadly at Dorian. "I'm going to miss you, my friend." Before Dorian could answer, he and Beka were sucked up into the tornado. The last thing he saw was Elphias and Fiyera holding hands, and thinking what a cute couple they made.

* * *

Dorian was tossed roughly to the ground. A thud next to him told him that Beka was nearby. The boy pulled himself up, rubbing his head.

"Ow-my aching everything."

"DORIAN!" Before Dorian even had time to recover, Aunt Henrietta ran up to him, throwing her arms around him, sobbing heavily.

"Gah! Aunt Henrietta!"

"Oh thank God! We've been staying at a friend's house...the police have been searching for weeks...we were so worried...oh Dorian, THANK GOD!" Dorian's aunt sobbed on his shoulder, and Dorian saw Uncle Ezra rounding the hill, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Dorian?" Before Dorian could so much as catch his breath, Uncle Ezra joined his wife, hugging the shit out of his teenage nephew.

"I was so scared." The older man sobbed, tears running down his face. "I couldn't stop thinking about the argument...the last thing I'd ever said to you...Dorian, I'm so sorry." Finally, Dorian returned the hug.

"No,_ I'm_ sorry, Uncle Ezra." He said, his heart filled with warmth. "I was a jerk."

"Dorian, who's that girl?" Dorian bit his lip nervously. This was going to be awkward. As his aunt and uncle let him go, he tried to think of the best way to introduce them to his tin girlfriend-only to get a surprise when he turned around.

Beka's body had been restored. She was now a young girl with a milky complexion, chin-length dark hair, dressed in a white cotton shirt, blue overalls, and rubber boots. Even her halberd was gone. Her eyes, however, were the same-deep purple burning with a fire all their own. She looked down at her hands in surprise before meeting Dorian's eyes. He knew instantly that they were thinking the same thing...as one last favor to both of them, Elphias had restored Beka's body so that she could live a happy, normal life with Dorian.

Aunt Henrietta started to repeat her question, but Beka answered

"I'm Beka. Dorian and I met some days ago, and we've been sticking together ever since."

"Well, come on, you two." Uncle Ezra said, pulling himself up. "Let's get out of here." Aunt Henrietta, Dorian, and Beka pulled themselves up, and Dorian and Beka followed the adults.

"You gonna be okay?" Dorian asked.

"Yes. I'm going to be just fine." Beka smiled, slipping her fingers through Dorian's.

Aunt Henrietta looked around all of a sudden.

"Hey, where's Toto?"

**A/N**: _Well, there you have it :) This was fun to work on. I hope you guys liked it!_


End file.
